The High Road Upper School of Prince George’s County serves the instructional and behavioral needs of students with emotional disturbances for the Prince Georges County and surrounding areas.   With over 20 years of company experience, we’re distinctly prepared to best meet the individualized educational needs of our school population.  Our efforts are concentrated on guiding students to attain personalized academic, behavioral, and transitional goals to ensure their continued development and growth.

Because we specialize in high‐school‐aged ED students (in both a graded and a non‐graded program), we also place great emphasis on our comprehensive Life Skills Program, which combines traditional class work, hands‐on tutorials, one‐on‐one instructional sessions, and on‐ and off‐site activities to equip young adults with the skills and know‐how they’ll need to function properly and productively in society at large following graduation. This program is therefore comprised of five components — (1) Academic Curriculum; (2) Vocational Training; (3) Behavioral & Social Skills; (4) Community Immersion; and (5) Independent Living Instruction — and since its inception in 2005, we’re proud to say that the program has graduated 100% of its seniors.

With the greatest strengths of our program working on behalf of all of our students every day — like our small class sizes, our supplementary support services, and our individualized approach to education — we’re able to lead our students toward success in all facets of their lives, in the classroom, at home, and in the community.

New

Upcoming Events

Spirit Week
September 13 - 17

Open House
September 23

Please check back soon for more detailed information

Graduation 2010

Graduation Ceremonies are the perfect opportunity to celebrate past accomplishments and future aspirations.  On June 8, 2010, the Prince George’s Ballroom (Pinebrook, MD) was host to the High Road Schools of Southern Maryland Regional Graduation.  The nearly 50 graduates that comprised of the Class of 2010 filled the ballroom with excitement, pride and hope along with over 400 family and guests on a very hot June evening.

Witnessing nearly 50 students In special education (with a variety of emotional and learning disabilities) earn their high school diploma is cause enough for celebration.  However, the additional achievements of the students are what really make the Class of 2010 very special.
The graduating class along with their family and invited guests were treated to 3 very special speakers.  Ms. Maryah Jenkins, a Graduate of 2010, Mrs. Veronica Washington, serving as keynote speaker and Dr. Michael Kaufman, President and CEO of SESI.  Ms. Jenkins spoke to her fellow classmates with a warm heart about all they have accomplished so far and what is possible beyond high school.

Mrs. Veronica Washington served as the keynote speaker to the graduating class.  During her address, Mrs. Washington stressed the importance of hard work, sound decision making and focus as keys to success now that the next chapter in their lives is set to begin.  As the former Director of Non-Public Schools for Baltimore City, Mrs. Washington was passionately able to draw her from experiences to motivate the young graduates.

As the closing Speaker, Dr. Michael Kaufman also imparted motivational words of encouragement for both the graduating class and the entire audience.  Dr. Kaufman skillfully summed up the significance this special day and how important it was to be able enjoy life not matter what obstacles you many encounter.  He concluded by officially confirming the Graduating Class of 2010 by having each graduate move their tassel from the right to the left.

Spotlight on Our Schools

The High Road Schools located in the state of Maryland (are a member of the Maryland Association of Nonpublic Special Education Facilities commonly referred to as MANSEF (www.mansef.org). MANSEF is a state wide association with over 90 member schools.  In the Spring Edition of the MANSEF Newsletter, our schools were featured on the front cover.  To check out the entire article, please click the following link:

Regional Reading Program

Since 2008, Ms. Chantelle Gordon has been the Reading Specialist for the High Road Schools of the Southern Maryland Region (Beltsville, Capitol Heights and La Plata).  Her primary responsibilities as the reading specialist include:

providing research based assessments to students requiring reading remediation using informal reading inventories and formal reading assessments

providing support to classroom teachers and directors on current reading topics and strategies

working one-on-one with students to provide assistants to those students who may be reading below their grade level 

assessing the reading strengths and needs of students; communicate findings to classroom teachers, parents, and directors in order to develop an effective reading program.

Ms. Gordon travels between 4 schools providing services to students referred to her by the school staff.
A typical reading sessions consists of:

one-on-one for individualized service
30-45 minutes on average (up to two times a week)
practicing reading aloud for increased fluency

A typical session is structured in the following manner:

Session begins vocabulary review using flash cards, making words, or various word work games. (approximately 10 minutes)

The session continues with pre-reading strategies (i.e. webbing, making predictions) or phonics work depending on the individual reading needs of the student. (approximately 10 minutes)

The session concludes with the student reading text from be a book, a short story, or an article once again depending on the current progress and needs of the student. (approximately 10 minutes).

In addition, a variety of strategies are implemented these might include reading games that tend to focus on word work and vocabulary review.  Students are able to learn or brush up on existing skills without even realizing it. 

Current Reading Strategies Most Commonly Implemented by Ms. Gordon includes:

Read Alouds (to increase fluency)
These can be -timed readings and/or repeated readings.  The student is asked to read aloud from a selected text below grade level to practice fluency; also to increase student motivation to read and increase confidence!

Fry Phrases (to increase sight word recognition and fluency)
Fry sight words are written on index cards in short 3 word phrases, the student reads the phrases aloud practicing intonation.

Webbing (for pre-reading strategies & to check prior knowledge of a subject)
The student will build upon word recognition based on a certain topic or main word.

Ms. Gordon would like to highlight:

HR Upper School of PG County--Beltsville 

Donkeisha B. 11th grade
*positive attitude towards reading
*enjoys reading funny fiction books & stories
*has made tremendous progress w/identifying sight words, decoding, and comprehension
*begining to make text-to-self connections during reading.

High Road Sports

The High Road Schools are committed to providing services, programs and activities that provide opportunities for students to grow both inside and outside of the classroom.  For several years the High Road Schools have had an Inter-High Road School Sports league.

The 10 schools throughout Maryland including Baltimore, Capitol Heights, Lanham, and Beltsville & La Plata compete throughout the school year in three sports.

Fall – Flag Football
Winter – Basketball
Spring – Kickball

These teams provide an opportunity for our students to gain knowledge and skills in team sports and sportsmanship.  Only students (on blue level) that have demonstrated the ability to make sound decisions can participate in practices and games.  The league provides students a chance to interact with student from other High Road Schools and to show school pride for their own.

Each sport season has its own playoff and crown champions for that season.  In flag football, the playoffs are in a bowl format similar to the NCAA.  Naturally, we have our own form of March Madness to crown our Basketball Champions.

Each year, all the schools get together for a Sports Banquet where the students are celebrated for their athletic performance and sportsmanship.  All participating students receive a participation award at the banquet.

For more information about our Sports League Programs, please contact your child’s school and ask for the team coach.

Functional Life Skills Program

The High Road Upper School of Prince George’s County offers an educational program for select high-school-aged students whose particular needs fall outside of the parameters of the public school system. This custom-tailored program has been designed exclusively for students whose cognitive level may or may not be able to earn a diploma.

Basically, we’ve shaped a program to meet a pressing and growing need in our community—a comprehensive system of traditional classes, hands-on tutorials, instructional sessions, and on- and off-site activities focused on teaching academically challenged students how to function in the real world at their highest possible level. To achieve this goal, our qualified staff expertly guides young adults through our practical-oriented, functional-based program, comprised of a five-pronged approach to
life skills training which include:

1 – Academic Curriculum
2 – Vocational Training
3 – Behavioral & Social Skills
4 – Community Immersion
5 – Independent Living Instruction.

This program has a proven track record for the 5 years in providing students with the confidence and competence to grow academically, socially and emotionally.
For more information, please print the fact sheet in the link below.  You may also contact Keith White, Senior Director @ (301) 210-4860.

Functional Life Skills Program Document

The Transition Programs of the High Road Schools of Southern Maryland (locations in Beltsville, Capitol Heights, Lanham & La Plata) are designed to provide students an opportunity to prepare for independent living after graduation.  To achieve these objectives, there are many components of our Transition Programs.

Students learn a variety of occupational skills such as interview techniques, resume writing and career exploration.  To achieve maximum success, students are exposed a variety of careers, jobs and skill sets.   In addition, orienting our students to the world of retail sales and customer service provides valuable experiences that will benefit them in any future career.
Each of our schools, offer as part of our program a Promotional Items Department.  Students have at the fingertips several technical machines which can customize a wide variety of items such as mouse pads, t-shirts and tote bags.

In an effort to promote the great work of our students, the High Road Schools of Southern Maryland are proud to introduce our region-wide Production Catalog.  At affordable prices and great quality you can purchase personalized t-shirts for your upcoming high school reunion or tote bags commemorating your family picnic.  With the holidays coming, you may need to be stocking stuffers such as key chains, mouse pads or coffee mugs.  Our schools even offer gift baskets containing an assortment of our products.

The students are preparing for a very busy holiday season so please don’t delay in placing your order. Please feel free to download a copy of our 2010 Brochure or contact our Customer Service Center at (301) 210-4860, our Mr. Kevin Mattison, Transition Coordinator of the High Road Upper School of Prince George’s County, will be able to direct you to any one of our Customer Service Representatives.

Spring 2010 In Review

As we turn the page onto the 2010-2011 school year, let's take a quick look back at the great events that took place throughout last spring.

Prom 2010

2010 Charity Volleyball Tournament

2010 Regional Career Fair

Fine Arts Festival